At halftime, Bishop Dwenger’s senior football captains approached coach Jason Garrett and said they wanted to talk to the team.
Garrett surrendered the floor.
“I grabbed the coaches and got out of there,” Garrett said. “At the end of the day, this is their team, their win or their loss. When we get in crucial moments, we’re giving it to our seniors. That’s what we did, and they did what they’ve done all year – rise to the occasion.”
In the end, Dwenger made just enough plays to beat Wayne 14-13 on Friday at Wayne to win the Class 4A Sectional 20 championship. Dwenger (11-1) will host Angola (12-0) for a regional title next Friday.
Prior to that halftime chat session, Dwenger’s offense had been shut down completely by Wayne’s passionate, aggressive defense. The Generals were missing two injured defensive starters (Tristan Pernell and Dre Walton) and their teammates rallied to not miss a beat.
Defensive lineman Darius Alexander and friends smothered the vaunted Dwenger run game, holding the Saints to 12 yards and no first downs in the first two quarters.
“We all have confidence in each other and we kept fighting,” Dwenger senior strong safety/running back T.J. Tippmann said. “We kept fighting. Something was going to give, as long as we kept fighting.”
Wayne took a 7-0 lead into the half when its offense marched 85 yards in the final three minutes of the second quarter. Big pass plays from Brandan Young to Craig Young (30 yards), Cameron Toles (17 yards) and Cameron Chambers (17 yards) set up Alexander to use his considerable size and drive for a two-yard touchdown.
Dwenger tied the score on its first possession of the third quarter, with Devon Tippmann setting things up for T.J. Tippmann to come in and follow the blocking of Joe Tippmann for a 10-yard score and a 7-7 tie.
“That was a big shift of momentum,” T.J. Tippmann said. “We knew they’d make big plays because they’re really athletic, but we’re a second-half team.”
Wayne took the lead again – helped in part by a big fourth-down completion from Young to Young – when Brandon Young hit KeShaun Fields for a 14-yard score. The extra point kick failed, which would be a pivotal miscue. Wayne led 13-7.
“I felt right then and there, that could be the game,” Dwenger senior Vinnie Tippmann said.
Dwenger took the lead on a 13-play drive. A dozen of those plays were running plays. The last one turned into the only completion of the night for quarterback Brenden Lytle – a nine-yard touchdown to Vinnie Tippmann.
“I thought it was a money call,” T.J. Tippmann said. “They’re going to bite all day on that 37-blast (run play). I saw Vinnie wide open.”
Vinnie Tippmann was, indeed, all alone.
“I’ve been waiting to do that all night, all year,” Vinnie Tippmann said. “We just played it perfectly, they bit for it. It was everybody who did it. I just got the pass.”
Garrett then turned to his son, Michael, who handles the placekicking.
“Father to son, I said, ‘Michael, Sweet Caroline,’ ” Jason Garrett said. “That one goes back to his (game-winning) kick against Luers last year. He sings that song in his head. He smiled at me. I thought, ‘We’re good.’ The snap was good, the hold was good, the kick was good.”
Trailing 14-13, Wayne had one more chance for the win and drove down the field, helped by two Dwenger penalties. Facing 4th-and-8 from the Dwenger 15, Brandan Young’s final pass was picked off by Griffin Eifert in the end zone.
Wayne (9-3) played a great game, showing its improvement from a 22-0 opening-night loss to Summit Athletic Conference champ Dwenger. Brandan Young was 15 of 24 passing for 225 yards. Alexander (nine tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss) and Craig Young (eight tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss) were tremendous up front on defense.
Dwenger’s defense was formidable as usual, led by Jordan Watercutter’s 10 tackles, including three tackles for loss.
“Wayne’s a hell of a football team,” Watercutter said. “We’re just so unified together. Our trust, unity and toughness pulled this one out for us. We’ve been working out since the summer, at 5:30 in the morning, getting up and grinding. We worked our butts off for this. It’s happening. We’re going to make a run.”
CLASS 6A SECTIONAL 3
SNIDER 49, HOMESTEAD 35
Snider found itself in a hole most of the night, trailing 28-14 at halftime and 35-28 early in the fourth quarter.
But as the Panthers have shown all season when faced with adversity, they tend to bounce back when it looks like they’re nearly down and out.
Snider quarterback Jon Barnes hit Jermaine Wells for a 14-yard touchdown to tie the game, then took its first lead of the game, 42-35, on a 12-yard A’Nyis Lockett score. After an interception by Quiyon Carter, Lockett logged his third touchdown of the game to close out the win.
Snider (9-2) will travel to Carmel (9-2) for the regional championship game.
Lockett rushed 27 times for 139 yards, Barnes was 15 of 25 passing for 178 yards and two touchdowns, both to Wells. Elijah Maxwell caught four passes for 71 yards. Luke Owens and Jayshaun Underwood also had interceptions.
Snider held Homestead’s rushing game to 111 yards (54 from Braeden Hardwick).
Luke Goode completed 12 of 25 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns – all to Griffin Little, who caught five passes for 113 yards. Cam Shannon returned a kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown and Ryan Burton had the Spartans’ sole interception.
CLASS 3A SECTIONAL 28
BISHOP LUERS 27, BELLMONT 14
Bishop Luers’ offense thrives on the variety of big plays it is capable of delivering but one connection took center stage in the sectional championship win.
Norman Knapke hit Nate Moore for three touchdown passes – a slant pass, a jump-ball that Moore showed tremendous athleticism to grab and a fade pass to the left corner of the endzone.
The Knights (8-4) will host Mishawaka Marian (8-4) in the regional next Friday. Bellmont finishes 2-10.
Bellmont took a 7-0 lead early on a 43-yard Jonathan Wilder pass to Noah Macklin. Luers tied it 7-7 on an 11-yard Jordan Presley run before Moore’s three TDs made it 27-7 at the half. Luers’ Ramon Anderson had a big interception in the end zone to squelch a Bellmont drive when it was 21-7.
Bellmont’s other score came on a Wilder to Colin Mills 63-yard pass.
Photos by Reggie Hayes
